Do you know Apple’s revolutionary mobile device: iPhone? if so and you are an owner who lives in the Arab world, your iPhone most likely is the old version which you bought it cracked, and you did not buy an iPhone 3G the new iPhone version, since it is near impossible to get one because Apple sells it through AT&T in USA starting at $199 for the 8 gigabyte device with GPS but with a 2 years contract. – iPhone 3G is also available in 25 other countries.-

Well soon you will be able to have an iPhone 3G if you live in one of those 3 Arab countries: Jordan,Qatar and Egypt.

As of Jordan, an inside source told me that Orange Jordan the incumbent mobile, fixed and Internet operator in Jordan will introduced iPhone 3G by the end of next month or by the first 10 days of the November.

The source said the iPhone 3G will cost between JD (Jordanian Dinar) 200- JD 300 – JD 0.70 JD = $USD 1.0 – with 2 years contract with Orange. While the 16 GB iPhone 3G will cost around JD 300- JD 400 with no contract. The source added that the iPhone price will go up with no contract or with less contract time. -I have emailed Orange Jordan for a confirmation Of the launch date and the price plan.-

Orange Jordan will be the sole iPhone distributor in Jordan, while Vodafone will be the sole distributor in Qatar and while in Egypt it will sell it along with Mobinil. And this is confirmed by Apple’s website here here and here.

In Jordan Orange mobile subscribers has past the 1 million mark, but most to its customers -and most mobile users in Jordan- are prepaid card users, who cannot afford a contract. Though most of mobile users in Jordan have smart phones priced from JD 120 and up. So I expect a 5 to 7 % of current Orange customer base to buy an iPhone in the first year –this is just speculation not based on a market study-, also we will see a switch from the number one Mobile operator Jordan Zain Jo to Orange in order to use iPhone, not just for personal use but also for business, since iPhone supports Microsoft exchange offering push email, calendar, and contacts, a thing Zain enjoyed by being the sole distributor for Blackberry in Jordan.

According Apple’s website iPhone3G does not support Arabic, which is the default mobile OS language for the vast majority of mobile users in Jordan and Egypt, But not for the first 20,000 iPhone buyers in those 2 countries!

(I have emailed Apple asking them when they will launch the Arabic version, and whether it will be available at the time of iPhone 3G launch in Jordan, Egypt and Qatar. I have also emailed Vodafone and Mobinil asking them about their iPhone 3G launch dates in Middle East.)UPDATE 26/9/08:

I did not mention in the post that I do hear that Orange being granted a 3G license yet, The 3G license has not been issued to any operator in Jordan yet. Telecom Regulatory Agency (TRC) which governs the telecom industry in Jordan, said in this press release “additional license for radio frequencies from (G2/G3) in addition to 3G License through a process of a comprehensive bid to take place before the end of 2008″”

So what does that mean? Orange is not launching iPhone 3G next month? a smell of corruptionis raising here since Orange has not been issued a 3G license yet: here is the email I received from Orange regarding iPhone, If you understand what they mean let me know:

Dear Valued Customer:

Greetings:

First, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for contacting Orange

In reference to your inquiry about iphone kindly be informed that the IPHONE is a phone set with multiple features. It has been offered at Orange web sit for sell soon and there is no any information about this iphone and when we are going to start sell it and tell now it is not available yet.

Finally, should you need any further information please don’t hesitate to contact us again

Regards

Customer Care Service – Orange

so customer service says iPhone will be soon on sale on Orange website!

[…] that Orange had a very poor sales for its iPhone 3G models at selling only 4,000 unites since the device launch in Jordan! Though, other sources said that it is Apple who is slow about introducing iPhone 3GS in Jordan as […]